Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has distanced himself from Hollywood’s culture of political activism and voiced his frustration with the “hunts” and “bulls” he believes dominate public discourse.
In a recent interview for the summer cover of Esquire magazine, the 54-year-old actor and professional wrestler explained why he decided to keep his political views private.
“What I’ve learned through experience is that you have to make your needs your number one priority, not your wants,” the ‘Moana’ star said. “And the most important thing for me, swinging my legs out of bed in the morning and running, is creating. It’s art, it’s storytelling. I’ve learned to keep my politics to myself.”
Johnson continued, “Sometimes I say, ‘There’s nothing I can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll say I’m wrong. Or if I take a step and feel like this is the right path, I’ll share it.'”
“Politics is omnipresent and eternal,” he added. “I don’t like it. I hate it sometimes. I hate stone-throwing. I hate all cows. It comes with it.”
Johnson’s remarks came after he was asked about Bruce Springsteen’s recent criticism of President Donald Trump during his “Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour.”
Since starting his tour in March, Springsteen, 76, has repeatedly launched harsh attacks on President Trump during concerts.
Johnson said his immediate reaction after learning about Springsteen’s “overtly political” show was that the president should have a conversation with the rock icon.
“Because when I heard you talk about Springsteen, who I love, and the idea that he was speaking directly to Trump at a concert, when you told me, the first thing in my head was, ‘Oh, then why aren’t they talking? They should sit down and talk,'” Johnson said. “We don’t know where it’s going to go, but it’s certainly an important step.”
Johnson, who identifies as an independent, endorsed a political candidate for the first time in the 2020 election, supporting former President Joe Biden in his race against Trump.
Speaking with Fox & Friends host Will Cain in April 2024, Johnson explained why he would not support a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
“Supporting Biden all those years ago was what I thought was the best decision for me at the time,” Johnson told Kaine.
“Are we going to do the same thing this year? The answer is no. We’re not going to do that,” he said. “Because I realized that what I caused then was and still is tearing me apart. That’s divisiveness. And that’s what drew me to it.”
“Then months and months later, I started to realize, ‘Oh, this is incredibly divisive in this country.’ So now, going into this election, I realize that’s not what I’m going to do. My goal is to unite the country, so I’m not going to do that. It’s in my DNA that I believe that. So in that spirit, I don’t have any endorsements,” Johnson continued.
“I’m not scared at all, but I’m just aware that there’s this level of influence. I’m going to keep my politics private. I think it’s a matter between me and the ballot box,” he added.
Biden ended his reelection campaign in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee after his performance in the June 2024 debate was widely criticized. Harris then lost when Trump won a second term in November 2024.
Prime Minister Johnson previously condemned the assassination attempt on President Trump in July 2024 and praised the president’s defiant response since then.
“Whether you love Donald or not, it doesn’t matter. They tried to assassinate him. There’s no room for that. Despite who we were in that moment, I still believe in the core of who we are as a country. So the man who rose to that moment, that’s what we wanted to see,” Johnson said during his appearance as a keynote speaker at the Values Conference in September 2024.
He also noted that Trump was a fan of his professional wrestling career and had attended his matches in New York City.
“He used to come watch me wrestle at Madison Square Garden all the time, which was great. The first time I met him, he said, ‘Show me your eyebrows,'” the “Jumanji” star joked, referencing a popular meme about his eyebrows.
In an interview with Kane, Johnson shared his thoughts on cancel culture.
“Being true, being honest, being open, being transparent…that’s important to me,” he explained. “In today’s world of easy cancel culture, the divide between cancel culture, woke culture, this culture, that culture, that really bothers me.”
Johnson said he has learned that being “real” and honest is more important than worrying about being canceled.
“You either give in and become who other people want you to be, or you say, ‘No, that’s not me. I’m going to be myself and be authentic.'” If I’m asked a question, the real answer is important, the truthful answer is important, but it can upset people and it can make people uncomfortable. That’s okay,” he said. “But it took me a while to realize that.”
